Malawi Partnership

In the spring of 2005, the Rev Matiya Nkhoma and his wife Maria visited our church. At that time, the Rev Nkhoma was the newly elected General Secretary of the Presbyterian Church of Central Africa, Livingstonia Synod which is in Northern Malawi.

Rev Rona Young, Rev Nkhoma, Mrs Nkhoma

Rev Nkhoma was visiting Ayr Prebytery looking at the possibility of linking it with Bandawe Presbytery in Northern Malawi. This project is now up and running. The Rev Arthur Christie who is the Convener of the Community and World Concerns Committee of Ayr Presbytery wrote to us and thanked us for being one of the supporting churches of the link. In his letter he said

"The links are sure to bring us all a greater experience of God's worlwide church by sharing experiences, resources and people."

Rev Nkhoma said in a recent letter to Rev Christie

" With the funds we received from you, we have been able to provide relief maize grains to more than 240 families covering the Livingstonia Synod area. We also identified the neediest people in the Bandawe area. Each family received 100 Kwacha (£5) to assist with work in their gardens/farms."

So you see help can reach those most in need, provided we keep in regular touch with our partner churches and see at first hand that the projects are working. Last year, the crops failed due to poor rainfall so our first priority is famine relief.

"Change for Malawi"

If you are willing to be part of this project, we would ask that you collect any 2p and 1p coins from your change and keep them in a jar or container which you can hand into the church when it is full. We hope that with the united efforts of our members we will make the effects of this partnership felt at the grass roots level in Malawi. We will keep you informed about the progress of this project on this page.
Remember that good old Scots saying " Mony a little maks a muckle"

Our minister, the Rev Young, is going to Malawi, along with the Rev Christie and other members of the Presbytery, in September and October on a fact finding mission. She will report on the Partnership's progress on her return.

Where is it?

It is fitting that this link has taken place since Scotland has had links with Malawi since the days of David Livingstone. The biggest town in the country is called Blantyre, after Livingstone's birthplace and the synod is Livingstonia. Before its independence, the country was known as Nyasaland and the lake on its eastern edge was Lake Nyasa (now Lake Malawi).

Nationally
Our First Minister, Jack McConnell, has also taken an interest in the plight of Malawi and is in the process of forging links on a national basis with the country. He is, at the moment, trying to enlist the aid of Sir Tom Hunter of the Hunter Foundation and former US President Bill Clinton. Last year (2005) Mr McConnell unveiled a Scottish Executive action plan that included £3 million a year in funds for charities working in the stricken country which has historical links to Scotland.

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